Skiing is here! To fully enjoy your time on the mountains, it's essential to prepare your body for the demands of skiing. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to get ready for ski season and ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.
Addressing Known Weaknesses and Problem Areas
The first step in preparing for ski season is to address any known weaknesses or problem areas. Whether you've experienced previous injuries, have recurring pain, or simply want to enhance your skiing performance, it's crucial to identify and target these issues. Seeking professional guidance from experts at Boulder Sports Chiropractic can help you assess and address these concerns effectively. If you are currently feeling good and have no known injuries from last year - lets move onto some self screening.
Self-Screening: Single Leg Stance
Before hitting the slopes, it's beneficial to assess your body's readiness for skiing. Two self-screening tests, the Single Leg Stance test and the Single Leg Hop Test, can help you gauge your strength, balance, and stability:
Single Leg Stance Test: Stand on one leg with your eyes open for 10 seconds. Ideally, you should be able to maintain balance without any wobbling or arm airplanes. If you can do this, move onto eyes closed for an additional 10 seconds. If you struggle with this test, it's an indication of instability in the core, hip, or foot and potential injury risk during skiing.
Forward Step Down Test: Stand on a step or platform with one foot and let your other foot hang off the edge. Slowly lower your hanging foot until it touches the ground, then raise it back up to the starting position. This test assesses your control and strength while stepping forward and down, simulating movements often encountered in skiing. If you find this challenging or experience pain, it's a sign that your legs may not be adequately prepared for skiing.
Strength Training
Skiing requires strong leg muscles, especially in the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles. Strength training is a fundamental component of ski season preparation. Here are a few exercises to incorporate into your pre-season training:
Soft Tissue Work
Soft tissue care is of paramount importance for skiers and snowboarders. These winter sports place significant demands on the body, leading to muscle tightness, strains, and potential injuries. Regular soft tissue care, including massage therapy, dry needling, and foam rolling, can help relieve muscle tension, enhance flexibility, and reduce the risk of overuse injuries. It also aids in faster recovery, ensuring that you can enjoy the slopes to the fullest.
As you embark on your journey to get ready for ski season, consider scheduling an appointment with the experts at Boulder Sports Chiropractic. Our team of professionals can help you address any injury treatment or prevention needs, assess your strength and flexibility, and create a customized plan tailored to your specific requirements.
Don't let weaknesses, pain, or past injuries hinder your ski season enjoyment.
Take the proactive step to ensure you're in optimal condition for the slopes. Your safety and performance on the mountains are our priority. Contact us today and let Boulder Sports Chiropractic be your partner in achieving a successful and injury-free ski season.